In the patent referred to above entitled "ELECTRONIC KEY LOCKING CIRCUITRY," Lee, Robert D. et al., there is described an electronic key which provides access to an internal random access memory upon receipt of a valid password. Included within one embodiment of this electronic key is an R-S flip-flop circuit which, when set, locks out certain commands that set the length of time of a time-out circuit within the electronic key. After the time-out circuit has timed out, the electronic key ceases to provide certain functions such as enabling data to be written into the random access memory. The end user, in order to avoid the time-out function, might try to reset the R-S flip-flop circuit by the application of an electrostatic discharge to one or more pins of the integrated circuit. There are also other conditions which can give rise to electrostatic discharge on the pins of an integrated circuit which would tend to disrupt data stored in a logic circuit.
It can, therefore, be appreciated that a R-S flip-flop circuit which is resistant to electrostatic discharge is highly desirable.